Eagles, Rams: No game

STOCKTON - When St. Mary's girls basketball coach Tom Gonsalves marched his state-ranked squad out of McNair's gym Thursday, did it trigger a forfeit, cancellation or postponement?

Richard Estrada

STOCKTON - When St. Mary's girls basketball coach Tom Gonsalves marched his state-ranked squad out of McNair's gym Thursday, did it trigger a forfeit, cancellation or postponement?

It's not a postponement, Tri-City Athletic League commissioner Steve Lopez said Friday, because the game will not be played.

The six TCAL principals will decide at their March 12 league meeting whether it's a forfeit win for McNair - giving the Eagles a co-title and handing St. Mary's its first league loss since 1996 - or a cancellation.

McNair and St. Mary's were closed Friday, part of a four-day holiday weekend, and no administrators from either school could be reached. Lopez, however, said he had been talking to both principals.

The game could have been rescheduled for Friday, today or even Tuesday, but St. Mary's refused to play in McNair's gym and McNair refused to allow the game to be moved to a neutral site, Lopez said.

A confrontation between fans had temporarily halted the freshman game Thursday, but order was restored and the game was completed.

Gonsalves said the wife of freshman coach Alex Rivera was punched twice in the face by a McNair parent in the fourth quarter of the first of three scheduled games. McNair officials have no report of anyone being hit, McNair principal Jim Davis said, only that fans were separated after a verbal dispute.

Gonsalves said that he had no choice but to leave when he "heard someone on their phone saying 'Hey, it's getting wild, you've gotta get down here," after the freshman game.

Davis said there was no risk to St. Mary's players or fans, and that administrators and security were on site.

The lack of an on-court result should have no impact on the playoff seeding for either team: St. Mary's (21-5, 9-0 TCAL) and McNair (24-3, 8-1) are expected to be the No. 1 seeds in Division I and II, respectively, based on their records and schedules.

When the two met three weeks ago, St. Mary's escaped with a 71-66 win on its court. The Rams are ranked No. 3 in CalHiSports' Division I rankings, while McNair is ranked No. 4 in Division 2.

St. Mary's has won a state-record 186 consecutive league games, according to CalHiSports. The recognized keeper of state records, CalHi has said it would not consider a forfeit loss as a blemish on that record.

The boys from St. Mary's (25-1) and McNair (1-23) play Tuesday at St. Mary's, with a heightened security presence. The playoff pairings will be announced Wednesday and the postseason begins Friday.